In Apponequet's first appearance in the Div. 2 South Championship, girls lacrosse coach Laura Magno knows the top-seeded Lakers must do two things to beat No. 3 Norwell this afternoon (4 p.m.) at Scituate High.

In Apponequet's first appearance in the Div. 2 South Championship, girls lacrosse coach Laura Magno knows the top-seeded Lakers must do two things to beat No. 3 Norwell this afternoon (4 p.m.) at Scituate High.

"First, we've got to start strong and finish strong," said the first-year Lakers head coach. "Second, we have to win the draw control."

For Apponequet, it all begins with senior Allie Noyes, who has done a solid job of getting control of possession at midfield. Then senior Lizzie Loranger has made the opposition pay. She scored 77 goals during the regular season and she has five goals and eight assists through two playoff games.

"We have some great senior leadership with some really athletic girls," said Magno, praising Noyes, Loranger and Kate Connor.

The Lakers (16-2-1) have also gotten strong play out of sophomores Abby Silvia and Makenna Mont. In Tuesday's 10-9 win over Cohasset, Mont's defense play set up the winning goal from Silvia.

"There's been plenty of underclassmen who have stepped up," said Mango, crediting the town's youth program with helping the team compete at this level. "The young girls definitely walk in with experience. They understand the game."